Tarfasha primed to lead home Sheikh Hamdan Investec Oaks one-two June 5, 2014 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS TODAY’S INVESTEC OAKS THE JOB of clerk of the course can be difficult at the best of times, but Andrew Cooper, the man in charge of producing the best possible surface for this weekend’s Investec Derby Festival, must have been tearing out the few hairs he has left over the past fortnight. [...]
Thistle Bird and Gregorian set for more Epsom glory June 5, 2014 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS TODAY’S OTHER RACES AND LOOKS AHEAD TO TOMORROW’S INVESTEC DERBY MUCH talk in the lead-up to the Investec Derby Festival is about the uniqueness of Epsom and it’s not a point to be underestimated. Some horses handle it and some don’t. Today’s action looks tricky so perhaps it’s best to focus primarily [...]
Investec Derby Preview June 5, 2014 THE 235th running of the Investec Derby at Epsom is a puzzle that I am struggling to solve at the time of writing. Alarming weather predictions mean none of us really know what state the ground will be in come 4.00pm tomorrow. We do know that short-priced favourite Australia does not want it soft according [...]
Banks’ fines to soar past $100 billion June 4, 2014 EUROPE’S biggest banks face an eye-watering $104bn (£62bn) bill, as regulators throughout the world ramp up fines for bad behaviour. The total amount, calculated by analysts at Credit Suisse, is nearly twice as high as had been expected a year ago, following a series of huge punitive charges in recent months. The 10 banks included [...]
Critics slam limp proposal for holding MPs to account June 4, 2014 THE GOVERNMENT’S proposed recall bill for MPs sparked a row yesterday, with the Taxpayers’ Alliance calling the plans “embarrassingly weak”. Under a new bill in the Queen’s speech, parliament, not the people, will be able to trigger the sacking of an MP if they are suspected of wrongdoing or convicted of a crime with a [...]
British tycoon takes up City A.M.’s lunch date challenge June 4, 2014 UK investment tycoon Jim Mellon is to follow in Warren Buffett’s footsteps and auction off the chance to have lunch with him in aid of charity. Mellon’s decision follows an article written in City A.M.’s diary earlier this week, questioning whether the so-called UK answer to the Oracle of Omaha would ever replicate Buffett’s annual [...]
The Queen’s Speech: Recall, pensions and heroism June 4, 2014 Small business bill If a big bank turns down a small firm’s loan application, they will have to refer it on to other lenders. Zero-hours contracts can no longer include an exclusivity clause that ban workers from taking several such jobs. Tax-free childcare will be extended to under-12s from 2015 in a bid to make [...]
We should always heed the law of unintended consequences June 4, 2014 THERE were two reactions to yesterday’s Queen Speech: critics dismissed it as lightweight in the extreme, a collection of reheated policies seasoned with a little trivia; supporters celebrated a government that understands that passing fewer laws is often better than frenetic legislating. Both sides were wrong. For a start, there are revolutionary pension bills in [...]
S&N deal lures second suitor June 4, 2014 SMITH & NEPHEW (S&N) looks set to be the subject of a bidding war after a rival suitor started evaluating a bid for the group, just days after US firm Stryker said it was also interested in the firm. S&N, which sells surgical implants, is understood to be in the sights of US medical devices [...]
$50bn T-Mobile merger nears June 4, 2014 US MOBILE operator Sprint is close to an agreement on the price, capital structure and termination fee of an acquisition for T-Mobile, according to reports. The $50bn (£30bn) merger is expected to value T-Mobile at $40 a share, according to Bloomberg. Sprint will reportedly offer 50 per cent stock and 50 per cent cash for [...]
